Legacy In The Little Things | Victoria Osteen

0:00:00.920 --> 0:00:02.600 Victoria and I are believe in You're gonna have a 0:00:02.640 --> 0:00:06.200 blessed summer. Praying for you guys every day, and thanks 0:00:06.200 --> 0:00:07.360 for being with us today. 0:00:07.680 --> 0:00:08.320 Hey, I'm excited. 0:00:08.440 --> 0:00:10.880 Victoria's got a new book out. It's called Grace to Go, 0:00:11.039 --> 0:00:12.960 and I know it's going to bless you. 0:00:13.280 --> 0:00:16.560 I'm excited because in this book you will see how 0:00:16.600 --> 0:00:19.800 you are strengthened, that you are prepared and you are 0:00:19.840 --> 0:00:22.800 ready for anything that's in front of you. You are 0:00:23.040 --> 0:00:27.720 Grace to Go. Enjoy today's message, and you were expecting 0:00:27.760 --> 0:00:31.160 to see Joel up here, but you got me today. 0:00:35.800 --> 0:00:39.400 Thank you so much. I appreciate that. Thank you so much. 0:00:39.479 --> 0:00:42.760 So you know, in the tradition of Joel's joke telling, 0:00:42.960 --> 0:00:45.960 I was gonna tell a joke. So I was telling him, 0:00:45.960 --> 0:00:48.440 I'm gonna tell a joke Joel, and he was like, 0:00:49.080 --> 0:00:53.920 wait a minute, you never get the punchlines right. And 0:00:53.960 --> 0:00:56.400 I said, what is You never get the punchlines right? 0:00:57.080 --> 0:01:00.280 So you know what I thought. Since mister Positive was 0:01:00.320 --> 0:01:04.399 so encouraging to me, I think I'll just tell a 0:01:04.400 --> 0:01:12.000 funny story about him. You know, when Joel first started ministring, 0:01:12.160 --> 0:01:16.360 one Sunday before he went out up to speak we 0:01:16.360 --> 0:01:18.600 were in the worship service and I noticed that his 0:01:18.720 --> 0:01:22.600 hair was sticking straight up in the back. I'm telling you, 0:01:22.600 --> 0:01:24.160 if you looked at him from the front, it looked 0:01:24.200 --> 0:01:27.360 like he had an antenna. And so I leaned over 0:01:27.400 --> 0:01:29.200 and I whispered to him. I said, you need to 0:01:29.200 --> 0:01:32.240 push your hair down. It's sticking straight up in the back. 0:01:32.640 --> 0:01:35.800 He said, I did, and it won't stay down. And 0:01:35.880 --> 0:01:38.360 I said, we'll go to the back in the bathroom. 0:01:38.600 --> 0:01:41.880 There is some hair spray under the seak, and if 0:01:41.880 --> 0:01:44.000 you take that hairspray and spray it really good and 0:01:44.040 --> 0:01:48.160 then push it down, it'll stay. So he slipped out 0:01:48.160 --> 0:01:51.360 of service during the during the worship service and walked 0:01:51.360 --> 0:01:53.760 back and I noticed when it was his time to 0:01:53.800 --> 0:01:56.400 speak and he got up on the platform, his hair 0:01:57.200 --> 0:02:00.000 was sticking up even worse. It was sticking straight up 0:02:00.120 --> 0:02:05.000 up like a peacock feather. So after the message, I 0:02:05.040 --> 0:02:08.160 said to him, I said, Joel, that was an amazing message, 0:02:08.560 --> 0:02:11.520 But why didn't you spray your hair? He said, I 0:02:11.600 --> 0:02:14.360 did spray it and it didn't work. He said that 0:02:14.480 --> 0:02:18.720 hairspray was no good, and I said, what did you use? 0:02:19.040 --> 0:02:22.160 I said, show me. So we walked back and He 0:02:22.240 --> 0:02:24.240 showed me the can of hairspray, and I looked at 0:02:24.240 --> 0:02:27.200 it and I said, Joel, this isn't hairspray, this is 0:02:27.280 --> 0:02:32.520 air freshener. His hair was sticking out, but he's now 0:02:32.680 --> 0:02:38.320 really good. Let's hold up our bibles and make our declaration. 0:02:39.040 --> 0:02:41.959 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:02:42.480 --> 0:02:44.880 I have what it says I have, and I can 0:02:44.960 --> 0:02:47.799 do what it says I can do. Today I will 0:02:47.880 --> 0:02:51.400 be taught the word of God. I boldly confess my 0:02:51.520 --> 0:02:55.160 mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never 0:02:55.240 --> 0:02:58.880 be the same. In Jesus' name. Well, I want to 0:02:58.919 --> 0:03:01.800 share with you a few minutes on legacy in the 0:03:01.840 --> 0:03:04.800 little things. See, it's easy to think we're not making 0:03:04.880 --> 0:03:07.680 much of a difference. We're just going to work, raising 0:03:07.720 --> 0:03:12.960 our children, helping a friend, just our normal routine. But 0:03:13.000 --> 0:03:17.639 the truth is most of life is ordinary. We can 0:03:17.760 --> 0:03:22.960 never underestimate the power of our everyday actions. Jesus said 0:03:22.960 --> 0:03:25.440 in Matthew, if you give a cup of cold water 0:03:25.520 --> 0:03:29.560 to someone that's thirsty, you'll be rewarded. He was talking 0:03:29.560 --> 0:03:34.480 about helping people. But the principle is everything you do matters, 0:03:34.960 --> 0:03:38.520 not just the big things, but the small acts of obedience, 0:03:39.040 --> 0:03:42.400 every smile you give, every kind word you speak, when 0:03:42.440 --> 0:03:45.000 you go the extra mile at work, and no one 0:03:45.040 --> 0:03:50.240 seems to notice your faithfulness and your generosity, the sacrifices 0:03:50.320 --> 0:03:55.080 you make. God sees it all. Nothing goes unnoticed by him. 0:03:55.800 --> 0:03:58.720 He sees you getting up early, making breakfast for your family. 0:03:59.240 --> 0:04:02.360 He sees you checking in on that friend who's been struggling, 0:04:02.840 --> 0:04:07.040 bringing your children to church week after week. These may 0:04:07.160 --> 0:04:11.240 seem ordinary, but there are moments that are shaping your 0:04:11.320 --> 0:04:16.760 home and forming your children. You're planting life, producing seeds 0:04:16.800 --> 0:04:22.240 that will impact generations to come. It's in the ordinary obedience, 0:04:22.480 --> 0:04:26.919 when you're serving, giving, loving that you're creating legacy. You 0:04:26.960 --> 0:04:29.160 don't need to be in the spotlight or have a 0:04:29.240 --> 0:04:34.120 large platform. If you do, that's great, but your impact 0:04:34.160 --> 0:04:37.360 is just as real and it's just as powerful. See, 0:04:37.360 --> 0:04:41.039 it's not always the big moments that build legacy. It's 0:04:41.080 --> 0:04:45.040 the small steps of daily faithfulness, the things you do 0:04:45.160 --> 0:04:49.440 quietly when no one applauds, those actions that seem small. 0:04:49.920 --> 0:04:53.440 God's keeping the records what you do in secret, what 0:04:53.520 --> 0:04:57.800 nobody gives you credit for. God said he'll reward you openly. 0:04:58.720 --> 0:05:03.039 There's something known as the butterfly effect. A mathematician and 0:05:03.120 --> 0:05:07.159 weather expert named Edward Lorenz came up with this theory 0:05:07.279 --> 0:05:11.320 that a butterfly fluttering its wings in Brazil could set 0:05:11.320 --> 0:05:15.640 off a chain reaction that could create a hurricane in Texas. 0:05:16.240 --> 0:05:20.760 That small, insignificant motion had the power to set off 0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:25.480 a major shift. Of course, people thought it was ridiculous 0:05:25.800 --> 0:05:28.840 and they discounted it, but he was able to prove 0:05:28.960 --> 0:05:33.800 scientifically how that slight change in the atmosphere created by 0:05:33.839 --> 0:05:37.719 a simple flutter of a butterfly's wings could lead to 0:05:37.800 --> 0:05:44.280 this incredibly impactful weather pattern. The principle is small ordinary 0:05:44.320 --> 0:05:48.400 actions can create a ripple effect that will cause much 0:05:48.520 --> 0:05:51.800 larger events to occur. Or you say, Victoria, how does 0:05:51.800 --> 0:05:55.640 that apply to us? When you flutter your wings, you 0:05:55.720 --> 0:05:59.359 go about your routine each day, it can seem ordinary, 0:06:00.279 --> 0:06:04.440 not much as happening, But your obedience is setting in 0:06:04.520 --> 0:06:09.120 motion things you can't see. There's a ripple effect taking place. 0:06:09.800 --> 0:06:13.280 God is orchestrating things that will have a greater impact 0:06:13.640 --> 0:06:17.440 and more significance than you could ever imagine right now. 0:06:18.279 --> 0:06:21.520 That's why the enemy works so hard on trying to 0:06:21.520 --> 0:06:26.159 make us feel insignificant. But don't believe those lies. Your 0:06:26.240 --> 0:06:30.920 life is making a difference. People are watching you, your family, 0:06:31.000 --> 0:06:35.760 your friends, your coworkers. They're being influenced. In John six, 0:06:35.839 --> 0:06:38.960 there was a woman that had no idea how much 0:06:39.200 --> 0:06:42.120 she mattered and how God was going to use something 0:06:42.200 --> 0:06:45.640 routine in her life to have such a tremendous impact 0:06:45.680 --> 0:06:49.400 on others. She was just an ordinary morning. She woke 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:52.320 up and started her day. Her to do list was 0:06:52.360 --> 0:06:55.760 as long as usual, but first she had to make 0:06:55.880 --> 0:06:59.279 lunch for her young son. She only had two small 0:06:59.320 --> 0:07:02.279 fish left over from dinner and five loaves of bread. 0:07:02.960 --> 0:07:06.040 As she began packing his lunch, doing what she always did, 0:07:06.560 --> 0:07:10.520 she never imagined what would happen. Later that day. There 0:07:10.560 --> 0:07:13.239 was a huge crowd of people listening to Jesus teach, 0:07:13.600 --> 0:07:17.120 and it was late in the day. So his disciples said, Jesus, 0:07:17.200 --> 0:07:19.320 should we dismiss the people so that they could go 0:07:19.400 --> 0:07:23.800 find food. But Jesus said, you feed them. They looked 0:07:23.840 --> 0:07:27.960 puzzled and said that's impossible. We could never feed this 0:07:28.080 --> 0:07:32.960 many people. Jesus asked, what do you have? After searching 0:07:33.040 --> 0:07:36.360 the whole crowd, they came up with this little boy's 0:07:36.440 --> 0:07:39.920 lunch his mother had packed him earlier that day, five 0:07:40.040 --> 0:07:43.840 loaves and two fish. They gave it to Jesus. He 0:07:43.920 --> 0:07:47.600 blessed the food, and it multiplied and ended up feeding 0:07:47.840 --> 0:07:52.400 over five thousand people with twelve baskets left over. See 0:07:52.400 --> 0:07:55.960 we hear a lot about the miracles of multiplying the food, 0:07:55.960 --> 0:07:58.960 and I'm sure you know that story. But think about 0:07:59.160 --> 0:08:03.720 where it all started. A mother being faithful. She thought 0:08:03.760 --> 0:08:06.640 it was just an ordinary routine day checking off her 0:08:06.680 --> 0:08:09.679 to do list, but it was part of a bigger plan, 0:08:10.240 --> 0:08:14.560 something she couldn't see right then, a divinely orchestrated moment 0:08:14.840 --> 0:08:18.960 that years later would still be inspiring us. That's the 0:08:19.000 --> 0:08:24.560 butterfly effect, the relationship between small movements and big events. 0:08:25.280 --> 0:08:30.240 This mother's ordinary sandwich making skills created an extraordinary effect. 0:08:30.800 --> 0:08:34.160 She was fluttering her wings, doing her best, and God 0:08:34.320 --> 0:08:37.960 used it. How could something as routine as taking care 0:08:38.000 --> 0:08:41.280 of your family have that kind of effect? Going to work, 0:08:41.600 --> 0:08:44.880 being your best, doing it all over again. It feels 0:08:45.120 --> 0:08:49.120 so normal. If this mother were here, she would tell you, 0:08:49.120 --> 0:08:53.720 you never know the impact of your faithfulness. Keep honoring God, 0:08:54.040 --> 0:08:57.440 being good to people, going the extra mile. You're making 0:08:57.480 --> 0:09:01.120 a difference. I can imagine how this mother felt. When 0:09:01.120 --> 0:09:03.400 her son came flying in the door that night with 0:09:03.480 --> 0:09:06.920 the news of what happened. He was probably talking ninety 0:09:06.920 --> 0:09:09.960 miles an hour as he told her about his lunch. 0:09:10.600 --> 0:09:13.520 She thought, you mean the five loaves and two fish 0:09:14.000 --> 0:09:18.040 that little lunch I made you. The scripture says, don't 0:09:18.080 --> 0:09:21.640 despise the day of small beginnings. God loves to take 0:09:21.679 --> 0:09:25.200 our small and do big things. He'll use what we 0:09:25.320 --> 0:09:30.120 consider insignificant or ordinary to have a tremendous impact, just 0:09:30.160 --> 0:09:33.720 like that little boy's lunch. Think about David slingshot and 0:09:33.720 --> 0:09:37.440 how we used it to defeat Eliath. Moses is Rod 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:40.520 that he held up in obedience to God and parted 0:09:40.520 --> 0:09:43.880 the red sea or the widow with their last bit 0:09:43.920 --> 0:09:48.320 of oil, sacrificing it to make the prophet Elijah dinner. 0:09:48.679 --> 0:09:52.800 And that oil never ran out. That's the butterfly effect. 0:09:53.280 --> 0:09:57.400 They were all part of a bigger plan. You are too. 0:09:57.880 --> 0:10:01.320 Your steps are being ordered by the Lord. God has 0:10:01.360 --> 0:10:05.440 these destiny moments. It can seem ordinary, but you don't 0:10:05.480 --> 0:10:09.199 know what God's up to. As you keep fluttering your wings. 0:10:09.400 --> 0:10:12.720 Things are happening behind the scenes, and it's not always 0:10:12.760 --> 0:10:17.400 those big events. It's the small acts of obedience, being 0:10:17.520 --> 0:10:22.120 faithful in your everyday life is what God uses. In 0:10:22.200 --> 0:10:26.079 nineteen thirty nine, in a small East Texas town, a 0:10:26.120 --> 0:10:29.199 young man named Sam Martin would go to high school 0:10:29.360 --> 0:10:33.080 early each morning and write scriptures on the chalkboard. The 0:10:33.120 --> 0:10:35.800 other students they thought it was a little odd, but 0:10:35.920 --> 0:10:39.960 that didn't stop Sam. He loved sharing his faith. It 0:10:40.000 --> 0:10:42.640 became a routine part of his morning. He would go 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:46.640 to school early and write scriptures on the blackboard. One night, 0:10:46.679 --> 0:10:49.720 a student that was in Sam's class was home alone 0:10:49.760 --> 0:10:53.200 and thinking about heaven and if it was real. He 0:10:53.360 --> 0:10:57.080 randomly opened a big Bible that had sat on the 0:10:57.160 --> 0:11:00.240 coffee table for as long as he could remember, and 0:11:00.280 --> 0:11:04.000 it fell open to a picture of Jesus standing at 0:11:04.040 --> 0:11:08.680 a door knocking. The caption read, if anyone opens the door, 0:11:08.880 --> 0:11:12.520 I'll come in. This teenager's heart was stirred and he 0:11:12.600 --> 0:11:16.040 began to think about those scriptures that Sam had written 0:11:16.080 --> 0:11:20.240 on the blackboards. The next day, he asked Sam about 0:11:20.360 --> 0:11:22.439 what he'd seen in the Bible and how it made 0:11:22.520 --> 0:11:26.120 him feel. Sam explained to him that was God drawing 0:11:26.200 --> 0:11:30.319 you to himself. That Sunday, Sam was able to take 0:11:30.360 --> 0:11:33.760 his classmate to church and it was that day that 0:11:33.920 --> 0:11:40.360 John Ostein, Joel's father, gave his life to Christ. If 0:11:40.360 --> 0:11:43.120 it wasn't for Sam Martin, there may not be a 0:11:43.559 --> 0:11:46.360 John Ostein or a Joel Ostein the way we know 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:51.439 them today. John and Sam they remained close friends, and 0:11:51.600 --> 0:11:55.040 fifty years later Sam Martin wrote a book called I 0:11:55.160 --> 0:12:00.520 Touched One, but He Touched millions. That's the butterfly effect 0:12:00.600 --> 0:12:04.480 of Sam Martin's faith. Don't ever underestimate the small acts 0:12:04.520 --> 0:12:08.200 of obedience and the times that you honor God, even 0:12:08.200 --> 0:12:13.199 when it seems ordinary. Sam was a quiet high school student, 0:12:13.440 --> 0:12:17.960 simply shining his light writing scriptures on the chalkboard each morning. 0:12:18.440 --> 0:12:20.760 It didn't seem like it was making much of a difference, 0:12:21.280 --> 0:12:24.400 but in God's hands it had an incredible ripple effect. 0:12:25.000 --> 0:12:29.280 I want to remind you your life is not ordinary. 0:12:29.400 --> 0:12:33.800 It may at times seem small or routine, but in 0:12:33.840 --> 0:12:37.360 the hands of God, you're extraordinary. You may not be 0:12:37.400 --> 0:12:40.240 in the spotlight, but you will be rewarded for every 0:12:40.240 --> 0:12:44.720 good deed, every act of obedience, your generosity, and the 0:12:44.760 --> 0:12:48.960 people you encourage. Your deeds are seeds and they're going 0:12:49.040 --> 0:12:52.800 to come back to you and spill over to future generations. 0:12:53.520 --> 0:12:55.840 When you read about the heroes of faith and the Bible, 0:12:56.200 --> 0:12:59.439 it's like seeing their highlight reel. You know, we're amazed 0:12:59.520 --> 0:13:02.320 when Moses part of the Red Sea with his staff, 0:13:02.360 --> 0:13:05.920 and how impressive it was when David killed Eliath with 0:13:06.080 --> 0:13:09.719 just his slingshot. But we don't know much about their 0:13:09.880 --> 0:13:13.960 ordinary days. The forty years Moses spent in the wilderness, 0:13:14.320 --> 0:13:17.320 the time David spent just with sheep out in the 0:13:17.360 --> 0:13:21.720 shepherd's fields. The ordinary days were far more than the 0:13:21.760 --> 0:13:26.960 miraculous days. We can't discount that time because in the 0:13:27.200 --> 0:13:32.280 ordinary things were changing, Everything was changing. The truth is, 0:13:32.320 --> 0:13:34.680 we're going to have more ordinary days than we do 0:13:35.280 --> 0:13:40.960 miraculous ones. But that's okay because those ordinary days have purpose. 0:13:41.480 --> 0:13:44.960 They're creating an atmosphere for God to work and setting 0:13:45.000 --> 0:13:48.880 the stage for him to do extraordinary things. A friend 0:13:48.920 --> 0:13:52.000 of mine discovered this. She thought her job of writing 0:13:52.080 --> 0:13:54.760 letters for a company that she worked for was mundane. 0:13:55.440 --> 0:13:57.600 She knew she had more in her and this just 0:13:57.640 --> 0:14:01.840 felt so insignificant. Even though she was tempted to slack off, 0:14:02.400 --> 0:14:05.240 she continued to have a good attitude and kept giving 0:14:05.240 --> 0:14:08.480 it her best. One day, she received a phone call 0:14:08.679 --> 0:14:11.400 from a man who had received one of those letters. 0:14:11.960 --> 0:14:15.320 He specifically asked for her because she had signed her 0:14:15.400 --> 0:14:18.679 name on behalf of the organization. He told her how 0:14:18.720 --> 0:14:22.200 much he appreciated the letter and how it brightened his day. 0:14:22.720 --> 0:14:25.080 Then she went on to help him with what he needed. 0:14:25.560 --> 0:14:28.880 To my friend, this was just an ordinary call, but 0:14:29.000 --> 0:14:32.120 she had just walked in to the extraordinary. She had 0:14:32.160 --> 0:14:35.240 a sister that had a serious liver condition and was 0:14:35.280 --> 0:14:38.640 in need of a transplant. Typically, it takes a long 0:14:38.760 --> 0:14:41.400 time to get on the list, and it didn't look good. 0:14:41.960 --> 0:14:44.560 As they talked, the man told her how he worked 0:14:44.560 --> 0:14:47.520 for a medical supply company and he was connected to 0:14:47.640 --> 0:14:51.360 doctors all over the community, even the country. When she 0:14:51.560 --> 0:14:55.600 mentioned her sister's condition, he said, I know just the 0:14:55.680 --> 0:14:59.240 doctor who can help. He went out of his way 0:14:59.520 --> 0:15:03.560 to enter her to a specialist. This doctor took her 0:15:03.600 --> 0:15:07.880 sister under his wings and made her a priority. It 0:15:08.120 --> 0:15:11.120 just so happened they found the perfect match. They were 0:15:11.160 --> 0:15:14.360 able to give her the life saving transplant that she needed, 0:15:14.640 --> 0:15:19.840 and today she's perfectly healthy and host This all started 0:15:20.360 --> 0:15:24.040 by being faithful in the ordinary. What looked routine and 0:15:24.080 --> 0:15:27.360 felt mundane was setting my friend up for a divine 0:15:27.360 --> 0:15:31.200 appointment that saved her sister's life and changed their family forever. 0:15:32.120 --> 0:15:34.880 Like my friend, you may know there's more inside you, 0:15:35.040 --> 0:15:38.760 but you feel stuck in the ordinary. Can I remind 0:15:38.840 --> 0:15:42.520 you there is no ordinary in God. When you keep 0:15:42.560 --> 0:15:45.400 giving your best each day and you have a good attitude, 0:15:45.800 --> 0:15:48.680 you go that extra mile. You're showing God that you 0:15:48.840 --> 0:15:52.760 trust him in the mundane and the magnificent, in the 0:15:52.880 --> 0:15:57.160 valley and on the mountaintop. You're in the preparation season. 0:15:57.520 --> 0:16:00.800 Things are changing that you can't see right now. That 0:16:00.920 --> 0:16:05.840 fluttering is creating ripple effects. God sees your obedience and 0:16:05.840 --> 0:16:09.000 your sacrifice, and it's only a matter of time before 0:16:09.040 --> 0:16:13.360 you cross over from the ordinary to the extraordinary. My 0:16:13.480 --> 0:16:16.640 friend not only saw a huge impact on her family 0:16:16.960 --> 0:16:20.960 with her sister's life being spared, but now, my friend, 0:16:21.320 --> 0:16:24.840 she owns her home business and she's thriving in ways 0:16:25.040 --> 0:16:29.120 she never could imagine. See, that's God's favor. He has 0:16:29.160 --> 0:16:32.920 the right people open doors. It'll seem like it happened suddenly, 0:16:33.440 --> 0:16:36.080 but in fact, it was all those days of being 0:16:36.120 --> 0:16:40.760 faithful in the ordinary, being best in the routine. There's 0:16:40.800 --> 0:16:44.560 a woman in scripture. Her name is Naomi. After losing 0:16:44.600 --> 0:16:48.080 her husband and two grown sons. She was grief stricken 0:16:48.520 --> 0:16:51.680 and decided to move back to her hometown of Bethlehem. 0:16:52.360 --> 0:16:55.320 Years earlier she had left because of a famine, but 0:16:55.480 --> 0:16:58.600 now it was time for her to return. She told 0:16:58.600 --> 0:17:01.080 her two daughters in law to go back to their 0:17:01.120 --> 0:17:04.760 hometowns and build a new life for themselves. One of 0:17:04.800 --> 0:17:08.800 them did, Orpa, she left and went back to her people. 0:17:09.280 --> 0:17:13.840 But Ruth she didn't leave. Naomi. She said, Naomi, where 0:17:13.880 --> 0:17:17.480 you go, I'll go. Your God will be my God. 0:17:18.080 --> 0:17:20.480 She was loyal and she was kind, and she took 0:17:20.520 --> 0:17:24.639 care of her In Bethlehem, they didn't have any food 0:17:24.800 --> 0:17:27.320 or income, so Ruth would have to get up in 0:17:27.359 --> 0:17:30.080 the morning and go out in the fields and pick 0:17:30.240 --> 0:17:34.280 leftover grain that the workers had missed. I'm sure she 0:17:34.359 --> 0:17:37.600 was disappointed, and at one time she had big dreams. 0:17:37.960 --> 0:17:39.879 She was going to do great things with her husband 0:17:39.960 --> 0:17:43.520 and have a child one day. But now all that's gone. 0:17:44.240 --> 0:17:46.680 She could have been discouraged and thought, I don't want 0:17:46.720 --> 0:17:49.439 to go out in the fields today. I'm tired of 0:17:49.480 --> 0:17:53.000 having to be the sole provider. But she just kept 0:17:53.080 --> 0:17:57.160 doing the small thing consistent, even when it was difficult. 0:17:57.880 --> 0:18:01.760 What she didn't realize was that her kindness and faithfulness 0:18:01.920 --> 0:18:06.000 was planning seeds. Those small acts of obedience. They don't 0:18:06.040 --> 0:18:09.760 go unnoticed by God. When you're faithful, even when it's hard, 0:18:10.040 --> 0:18:13.800 making sacrifices, doing the right thing, even if you don't 0:18:13.840 --> 0:18:17.440 know if things will ever change, it is setting you 0:18:17.560 --> 0:18:21.080 up to see the winds of change. God is working 0:18:21.280 --> 0:18:25.200 all things out for your good. One day, while Ruth 0:18:25.320 --> 0:18:29.320 was out in the field faithfully picking up leftover wheat, Boaz, 0:18:29.840 --> 0:18:32.720 the owner of the field, noticed her. He had heard 0:18:32.760 --> 0:18:35.520 about her kindness and her loyalty and how she cared 0:18:35.520 --> 0:18:39.080 for Naomi day after day, so he told his workers 0:18:39.640 --> 0:18:43.600 leave handfuls of wheat on purpose for her. Now she 0:18:43.640 --> 0:18:46.280 didn't have to work as hard. She had more than 0:18:46.400 --> 0:18:50.119 enough wheat with less effort. That's what it looks like 0:18:50.760 --> 0:18:54.080 when God rewards you openly. That's the kind of blessing 0:18:54.160 --> 0:18:57.320 Jesus spoke about when he said, if you give a 0:18:57.359 --> 0:19:00.760 cup of cold water to someone in need, you'll be rewarded. 0:19:01.400 --> 0:19:04.040 When you make sacrifices to be good to your family 0:19:04.160 --> 0:19:06.800 and take care of your neighbor. You give that cup 0:19:06.840 --> 0:19:10.680 of cold water, it matters more than you think. Ruth 0:19:10.720 --> 0:19:13.480 thought being out in the field was her destiny. That's 0:19:13.520 --> 0:19:16.639 the way it would always be. She couldn't see it 0:19:16.680 --> 0:19:19.920 at the time, what God was up to. You don't 0:19:19.960 --> 0:19:23.240 know the ripple effects you're creating by just being faithful 0:19:23.240 --> 0:19:26.640 and showing up being your best when you could take 0:19:26.680 --> 0:19:29.639 the easy way out. See the owner of that field. 0:19:29.840 --> 0:19:32.960 He not only noticed Ruth, he was not only good 0:19:32.960 --> 0:19:35.399 to her, but he fell in love with her. They 0:19:35.480 --> 0:19:38.640 ended up getting married. They had a baby named Obed. 0:19:39.160 --> 0:19:42.600 Ruth never dreamed she'd have a child. She was so excited. 0:19:43.119 --> 0:19:46.320 She not only had a son, but she also became 0:19:46.560 --> 0:19:50.520 the great grandmother of King David. That meant that she 0:19:50.640 --> 0:19:54.360 was in the family line of Jesus Christ. Her small, 0:19:54.480 --> 0:19:58.600 humble acts of love and obedience, those quiet choices, had 0:19:58.680 --> 0:20:04.240 life changing effects, even history shaping impact. What feels ordinary 0:20:04.320 --> 0:20:09.479 or routine is producing extraordinary effects. Being faithful, even when 0:20:09.560 --> 0:20:12.640 you feel like nothing's changing. It's in those times you're 0:20:12.680 --> 0:20:16.320 creating ripples that are going to affect not only you, 0:20:16.800 --> 0:20:21.199 but your family line and have a generational impact. I 0:20:21.240 --> 0:20:24.000 have such fond memories of my grandmother. She was a 0:20:24.040 --> 0:20:28.000 remarkable woman. She loved God and she knew the power 0:20:28.080 --> 0:20:30.680 of prayer. When I was a little girl, we would 0:20:30.760 --> 0:20:32.879 visit my grandmother's house and I would look out the 0:20:32.920 --> 0:20:35.640 window and see her in the morning in her garden, 0:20:35.960 --> 0:20:39.840 on her knees, praying for her family. I can still 0:20:39.880 --> 0:20:43.760 remember the smell of her homemade biscuits bacon in the oven. 0:20:44.560 --> 0:20:48.240 One of her many talents was designing clothing. She loved 0:20:48.240 --> 0:20:51.880 to make dresses for my mother. She'd put unusual colors 0:20:51.880 --> 0:20:55.880 together in mixed patterns. When my mother was growing up, 0:20:56.000 --> 0:20:59.439 every Sunday she had a new dress hanging on the 0:20:59.480 --> 0:21:02.520 back of her door to wear to church. It gave 0:21:02.600 --> 0:21:06.000 my grandmother such joy to see my mother in those dresses. 0:21:06.680 --> 0:21:09.640 My mother learned to love fashion and design growing up 0:21:10.040 --> 0:21:14.719 watching her mother simply using her gifts. To my grandmother, 0:21:15.200 --> 0:21:18.840 those sewing projects may have seemed ordinary. She was just 0:21:18.920 --> 0:21:22.159 taking care of her children. Little does she realized that 0:21:22.320 --> 0:21:26.159 example and that labor of love was planting seeds in 0:21:26.200 --> 0:21:30.960 her daughter. Years later, that same love for design, my 0:21:31.080 --> 0:21:34.080 mother stepped out in faith and opened to find jewelry store. 0:21:34.640 --> 0:21:40.000 She was the first female independent jeweler in Houston. She 0:21:40.200 --> 0:21:44.520 was inspired so much by her mother in so many ways, 0:21:45.240 --> 0:21:48.040 and I can truly say that my mother's life has 0:21:48.080 --> 0:21:52.000 been an inspiration to me. Because my grandmother did what 0:21:52.080 --> 0:21:55.120 she did with excellence, I felt the winds of change 0:21:55.200 --> 0:21:58.520 in my life. Many years later, I worked in that 0:21:58.600 --> 0:22:01.800 jewelry store. As I grew up, I learned the business, 0:22:02.080 --> 0:22:05.600 but I never dreamed. One afternoon in that very store, 0:22:06.280 --> 0:22:11.159 this tall, dark and handsome young man was come in 0:22:11.320 --> 0:22:15.760 needing a battery for his watch. With my amazing sales ability, 0:22:16.280 --> 0:22:20.560 I ended up selling him a whole new watch. A 0:22:20.560 --> 0:22:23.320 few days later he called me and asked me out 0:22:23.320 --> 0:22:26.520 on a date. Joel's story is that I couldn't keep 0:22:26.560 --> 0:22:29.600 my hands off of him, so we got married. The 0:22:29.600 --> 0:22:32.840 truth is I was so fine that he couldn't stand it. 0:22:36.640 --> 0:22:41.720 Thirty eight years and we're still going strong. You never 0:22:41.800 --> 0:22:44.719 know the effects you're having by using your gifts and 0:22:44.760 --> 0:22:48.480 living as an example to your family. Twelve years later, 0:22:48.600 --> 0:22:51.359 Joel's father went to heaven and we stepped up to 0:22:51.440 --> 0:22:54.679 pastor the church. Today we had the honor of bringing 0:22:54.720 --> 0:22:59.359 hope to people around the world. But this all goes 0:22:59.440 --> 0:23:04.280 back to my grandmother's faithfulness in Sam Martin's obedience. That's 0:23:04.320 --> 0:23:07.600 the butterfly effect of their faith. All those mornings my 0:23:07.640 --> 0:23:11.600 grandmother praying for her family making those dresses. What she 0:23:11.720 --> 0:23:16.120 thought was ordinary was in fact planting life giving seeds 0:23:16.240 --> 0:23:20.040 and affecting future generations. She couldn't see it at the time, 0:23:20.119 --> 0:23:23.520 but God was using her as part of a bigger plan. 0:23:24.680 --> 0:23:27.760 Every day you stay faithful, pray for your family, invest 0:23:27.800 --> 0:23:30.800 in those you love, take time to make those dresses. 0:23:31.240 --> 0:23:35.440 You're fluttering wings or changing the atmosphere. You're making a difference. 0:23:35.920 --> 0:23:38.600 You may not see it now, but like my grandmother, 0:23:39.200 --> 0:23:44.440 like Sam Martin, you're influencing generations to come. Years ago, 0:23:44.560 --> 0:23:47.879 I was visiting my cousin who lived in Georgia. One morning, 0:23:47.960 --> 0:23:51.000 we decided to go see my grandmother's house. We were 0:23:51.040 --> 0:23:53.760 just going to drive by and reminisce about old times. 0:23:54.240 --> 0:23:56.639 But when we pulled up, we saw a lot of 0:23:56.680 --> 0:23:59.360 cars out front, and as we got a little closer, 0:23:59.720 --> 0:24:01.879 there was a sign on the front of the house. 0:24:02.440 --> 0:24:06.240 We couldn't believe it. They had turned my grandmother's house 0:24:06.600 --> 0:24:09.960 into a small church. We could hear the music, so 0:24:10.000 --> 0:24:12.760 we decided to go in and we sat in the bag. 0:24:13.400 --> 0:24:16.640 It was her main room, the one we remember spending 0:24:16.720 --> 0:24:20.359 so many Christmases in. My cousin and I were so touched. 0:24:20.440 --> 0:24:23.520 We began to weep. We could feel the presence of God, 0:24:24.160 --> 0:24:27.000 and one of the members noticed us crying and came 0:24:27.040 --> 0:24:29.920 over and asked us if we needed prayer. We told 0:24:29.960 --> 0:24:32.719 her how this was our grandmother's house growing up, and 0:24:32.840 --> 0:24:35.720 how she was a godly woman and love to pray, 0:24:36.119 --> 0:24:38.879 and how proud she would be to know that her 0:24:39.040 --> 0:24:43.240 house has become a place of worship. After the service, 0:24:43.280 --> 0:24:45.639 we talked to the pastor, and when he was looking 0:24:45.680 --> 0:24:48.600 for somewhere to meet, he said, the moment my wife 0:24:48.680 --> 0:24:51.800 and I found this place, we could feel such peace. 0:24:52.560 --> 0:24:56.000 We knew this was a house of prayer. Look at 0:24:56.000 --> 0:25:01.760 the ripple effect of one woman, my grandmother, being faithful 0:25:01.840 --> 0:25:06.320 in the ordinary. She didn't have a big platform, she 0:25:06.440 --> 0:25:10.840 was never well known, but her life of kindness, sacrifice 0:25:10.880 --> 0:25:15.119 and honoring God was still impacting people long after she 0:25:15.280 --> 0:25:19.200 was gone. There's legacy in the little things, every cup 0:25:19.240 --> 0:25:23.280 of cold water, every prayer providing for your family. God 0:25:23.400 --> 0:25:26.800 sees that, and many of you, like my grandmother, have 0:25:26.880 --> 0:25:31.280 been good to your family, faithful at work, always serving, giving, 0:25:31.760 --> 0:25:36.160 but maybe not getting much recognition. Thoughts would whisper, does 0:25:36.160 --> 0:25:40.080 it matter, it's not making a difference. No, I believe 0:25:40.119 --> 0:25:42.800 your time is coming. You're going to see the ripple 0:25:42.800 --> 0:25:47.240 effects of your ordinary obedience, being faithful in the mundane. 0:25:47.800 --> 0:25:50.399 Those seeds you've suwn are going to come back to 0:25:50.520 --> 0:25:54.480 you and your children. God is faithful, He's keeping the 0:25:54.520 --> 0:25:58.280 records what you've done in secret. He's going to reard 0:25:58.400 --> 0:26:02.440 you openly. Your labor. Those cups of cold water, they 0:26:02.440 --> 0:26:06.640 don't go awaynnoticed. He's promised you will surely be rewarded. 0:26:07.280 --> 0:26:10.880 Everything you do matters. Keep being your best each day, 0:26:11.400 --> 0:26:15.680 pouring into your family, excelling in school, stepping into those 0:26:16.000 --> 0:26:19.320 dreams that God's put in your heart. Your small acts 0:26:19.320 --> 0:26:23.840 of obedience are setting miracles into motion. The winds of 0:26:23.960 --> 0:26:27.800 change are happening. And because of your faithfulness, you're not 0:26:27.840 --> 0:26:30.440 only going to be a great blessing, but you're going 0:26:30.480 --> 0:26:33.520 to be blessed in greater ways. Amen. 0:26:36.359 --> 0:26:39.840 Sometimes in life people don't choose us. We've all felt 0:26:39.920 --> 0:26:43.040 overlooked and like we're not good enough. It's easy to 0:26:43.080 --> 0:26:46.679 live inferior thinking we don't measure up. People may have 0:26:46.760 --> 0:26:50.120 left you out. The good news is God has chosen you. 0:26:50.400 --> 0:26:53.560 He's the one that matters. And in my new book, Chosen. 0:26:54.000 --> 0:26:57.800 Your life is marked for distinction. You'll discover before you 0:26:57.840 --> 0:27:01.320 were born, God not only knew you, but he handpicked 0:27:01.359 --> 0:27:04.399 you and placed a calling on your lie. You are 0:27:04.400 --> 0:27:08.959 equipped and empowered to fulfill your destiny. When you understand 0:27:09.000 --> 0:27:12.600 that you're chosen, fear and doubt can't stay. You live 0:27:12.640 --> 0:27:15.600 with a boldness to step into the greatness God put 0:27:15.640 --> 0:27:18.200 in you. I love to send you by new book Chosen, 0:27:18.600 --> 0:27:22.520 plus the Chosen T Shirt from our friends at Copperfit. 0:27:22.680 --> 0:27:25.080 As our way of saying thank you for your gift 0:27:25.119 --> 0:27:27.720 of any amount this month. We would like to send 0:27:27.760 --> 0:27:31.639 you a copy of Joel's book Chosen. Your life is 0:27:31.720 --> 0:27:36.040 marked for distinction. In the scriptures, Jesus encouraged us by 0:27:36.080 --> 0:27:40.840 saying you didn't choose me, I chose you. This powerful 0:27:40.880 --> 0:27:44.040 guide will help you discover the abundant life you were 0:27:44.080 --> 0:27:47.479 designed to live. As a child of God. You have 0:27:47.560 --> 0:27:51.600 a calling, a purpose, a destiny still to be fulfilled. 0:27:51.880 --> 0:27:54.760 When you request your copy, we also want to send 0:27:54.840 --> 0:27:58.440 you our exclusive Chosen T shirt from Copperfit that will 0:27:58.480 --> 0:28:02.520 remind you that you've been chosen by Almighty God every 0:28:02.600 --> 0:28:06.280 time you wear it. Please request these gifts today and 0:28:06.359 --> 0:28:10.000 discover that God is moving on your behalf. Your next 0:28:10.080 --> 0:28:12.600 days are going to be your best days. 0:28:13.119 --> 0:28:16.360 You're not average, You're not ordinary. You've been chosen by 0:28:16.440 --> 0:28:19.280 Almighty God. Betoy and I want you to know how 0:28:19.359 --> 0:28:21.800 much we love you. We pray for you and your 0:28:21.840 --> 0:28:25.000 family every day, and thanks so much for your prayer 0:28:25.160 --> 0:28:29.160 and support. Your generosity is helping people all over the world. 0:28:29.480 --> 0:28:32.240 Now special thank you to our Champion of Hope partners 0:28:32.359 --> 0:28:35.480 for your monthly gifts. If you're not a partner, I hope. 0:28:35.280 --> 0:28:36.920 You'll consider becoming one. 0:28:37.320 --> 0:28:41.640 Remember you can watch the services online live every Sunday morning, 0:28:42.040 --> 0:28:46.320 download our daily podcast, watch on YouTube the new Joelosting 0:28:46.440 --> 0:28:49.400 Network social media, listen on Serious Exam. 0:28:49.920 --> 0:28:51.640 We'll keep you encouraged. 0:28:51.160 --> 0:28:53.680 And inspired until we see you next time. 0:28:53.880 --> 0:28:55.840 May the Lord bless you and keep you. 0:28:56.800 --> 0:29:00.280 Be sure to request your copy of Chosen Your Life 0:29:00.320 --> 0:29:04.040 is Marked for Distinction, plus our exclusive Chosen T shirt 0:29:04.120 --> 0:29:08.600 from Copperfit. Visit Joelostein dot com or call eight eight 0:29:08.600 --> 0:29:13.160 eight five six seven Joel for an additional donation. This month, 0:29:13.320 --> 0:29:16.840 we are also offering the NLT Large Print Thin Line 0:29:16.920 --> 0:29:20.960 Reference Bible. This bible also enables you to connect through 0:29:21.000 --> 0:29:24.680 your smartphone. Or tablet to a vast, powerpacked array of 0:29:24.720 --> 0:29:30.240 study notes, devotionals, interactive maps, videos, and worship music. You 0:29:30.320 --> 0:29:34.200 can request these inspiring resources by calling eight eight eight 0:29:34.520 --> 0:29:38.640 five six seven Joel or logging on to jolostein dot 0:29:38.680 --> 0:29:43.960 com today call or click anytime, twenty four hours a day. Yes, 0:29:44.360 --> 0:29:47.760 God has chosen you for a reason, for a purpose. 0:29:48.240 --> 0:29:52.680 Request your copies today